WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TWIGGY?

by admin on June 21, 2011

the original twiggy

unretouched twiggy

the last few weeks of esme’s fashion history class (oh how i miss that class!) were devoted to periods that esme lived through and actually remembers–the ’60′s, ’70′s and ’80′s! what a strange feeling to recall clothing from this era, consider how young one was at the time, and, most strikingly, to realize that these styles were truly ancient history to the 20-year-olds in the class!

esme was surprised to find that the text for the class made no mention of twiggy in the chapters on the sixties. remember twiggy?? she practically defined fashion in that era!

twiggy first hit the fashion-scene in 1966. (esme would have been the impressionable age of 13 at the time…so now you know!) i am quite sure that we did not subscribe to any fashion mags (totally against my mother’s grain) but somehow i have vivid memories of twiggy’s photos. i can only imagine i looked at them while waiting for a haircut—forbidden fruit in the beauty parlor!

twiggy is apparently alive and well at the age of 61. she has her own web-site and line of clothing/linens, and is still working as the face of olay and as a model for marks and spencer. you may recall that she was known for her “twiggy” figure, her short haircut, and her striking eyelashes. naturally she has been criticized over the years for promoting an unrealistic body-image. esme has to admit that this skinny/twiggy look probably influenced her own body-image issues. however, twiggy denies that she dieted, explaining that she was just one of those people who was naturally thin. and you know, esme, who has good intuition about these things, believes her.

a few years ago, twiggy’s photo for olay stirred up a kerfuffle. the media complained that she was overly-airbrushed, and posted a “natural” photo next to her olay photo. indeed the contrast was striking. in the olay photo she looks like a young blonde of the sort you’d expect in such an ad, while in the other she looks like…..well, kind of like a made-over camilla parker bowles! in fact, esme can only admire her for apparently not having had work.

perhaps none of us need work—just a great re-touching artist and communication limited to on-line interactions! (just kidding folks).